Black Christian News Network | Wordpress Edition

Somalia’s Islamist terror group al Shabab wants to rid the Muslim country of all Christians and is specifically targeting Christian converts from Islam.

Al Shabab recently joined with al Qaeda and wants Sharia law implemented in the country.

An al Shabab video that swept the Internet in September 2008 shows the brutal beheading of 25-year-old aid worker Mansour Mohammed. His crime? Mohammed converted to Christianity in 2005.

Blindfolded, Tortured

One year ago, a Muslim convert to Christianity was awakened in his home by al Shabab soldiers. CBN News agreed to protect his identity, giving him the name “Abdi.”

“They ransacked my house, searched my bag, and found several pages from a Bible,” he told CBN News. “They had crosses on them.”

Abdi was taken away, imprisoned, and tortured.

“I was blindfolded and they put me in a dark, underground cell. They beat me up with a wooden baton,” he explained.

“They wanted to know where I got the Bible pages and if I knew of any others like me,” he continued. “When they finally took the blindfold off, I noticed three dead bodies in the room. They placed them there just to frighten me.”

Abdi’s torturers said they were going to kill him. But late one night, he and two cellmates made a daring escape.

“The guards thought they had locked our cell door, but it wasn’t locked. We opened it, ran to the wall, and started climbing,” Abdi recalled. “The guards opened fire on us. Bullets killed one of my cellmates, but the other prisoner and I jumped over the wall.”

Abdi reunited with his family and is now living in a safe place. He said he still suffers physical pain from the torture he endured. But spiritually, he said he feels closer to God.

“I was happy to go through all this because now I am stronger spiritually,” Abdi said. “People prayed for me to escape. Their prayers are what saved my life.”